“Body image is everything to children — how they appear to each other is everything. They are learning at a very young age to be self-conscious,” Rachel Bertsche reports.

Other parents have been concerned over the lighthearted approach the school took by sending the BMI reports through the students’ school folders, risking comparisons between peers and potentially giving ammunition for teasing and bullying for students with high BMIs.

“… where it’s exposed so all the kids can get into someone’s backpack and see the biggest kid in the class’s BMI and then maybe tease and bully him about it,” Heidi Hickam told WDAF.

Hickam expressed her concern about the incident which not only didn’t tell her something she didn’t know already but also shared information that should have been kept private. “We know that [our son] has a health problem, and we don’t need a letter to remind me of that,” Hickam said.

Andrew Underwood, Superintendent at Belton School District, told WDAF that no teacher had bad intentions with the BMI measurements and reporting. The school announced that next year parents will be notified about the BMI report in advance so that they’ll expect it. Parents will be also given a chance to opt out.

Concerns have been raised at to whether this incident discriminates against children, Moss said: